I’m on disc 5 track 6! We (Jactars) played a few little pubs and clubs with the La’s early on around Liverpool and St Helens.
I’m not sure how they can release something like that without including at least one track by WAH!/Pete Wylie
It is odd, I can only assume he didn’t want to be on it as word certainly went around everyone and Joe McKechnie, who played drums very often for Wylie, was very much involved in the project. There are a fair few omissions IMO, but I guess that is inevitable (Wah!, Half Man Half Biscuit, Crikey Its The Cromptons, Gone To Earth, Boo Radleys etc, though the latter may just be outside the timeframe). It still looks like a decent thing though, just hope the mastering is half way decent!
The highlight of my La's fandom has been, without a doubt, busking songs on Hardman Street in Liverpool on a Saturday night, and none other than Lee's actress niece Abby Mavers walking up, asking me to play There She Goes, and me getting a peck on the cheek for the rendition! She had a yellow jacket on though so I told her to sling er hook
The La's are on Tidal, listening now and this is first time I have heard anything more than the single There She Goes.
It's funny because I never listen to There She Goes anymore, having obsessively overplayed it in 1988. So now I sort of regard it as a separate thing, outside the band's body of work.
I was 18, had all the Beatles and Velvet Underground CDs fully digested, this album came out and it seemed to fit in with the mid-60s before everything got "heavy" and self-conscious and of course, it resonated better than anything on the radio at the time----I played it non-stop----and it's never gone stale in 27 years. Later I discovered Big Star and got the same feelin again.
You know, I only had a quick look through the track listing and just assumed Wah! would be on there somewhere. As mentioned above, it must be a contractual/personal thing as pretty much everyone else from that era is represented.
It appears you are correct... ...but the new Wylie album more than makes up for the omission from this comp.
Yes, it would have been nice but a new album and a remastered/hopefully expanded back catalogue is great news.
Funny you should say that. I was introduced to the album circa 1999 with little to no preamble about the origins, variations, or struggles to complete it. Somehow I made it through the Nineties without actively hearing "There She Goes," i.e. with it making an impression on me. The received knowledge was "crazy talent makes one album and disappears." I was intrigued and very impressed. I was at the height of my Morrissey fandom and was given a bootleg of the 1987 radio show he touted the early version of "Way Out" on. It was surprising at the time to hear this song had been around for four years with two distinct recordings. On a different Morrissey note, I've long thought that his ex-co-writer Alain Whyte was influenced by "Looking Glass" for the coda of the Morrissey B-side "The Edges Are No Longer Parallel." Given that both songs were produced by Steve Lillywhite, I wonder if it was just happy coincidence or informed nod. I bought a copy of the first edition of A Secret Liverpool, but have never completed it. In fact, I bought the deluxe edition of The La's probably fifteen years ago and haven't delved any further into the extant recordings as of yet.
I'd definitely recommend checking out some of the alternative versions, although it can be overwhelming. But I think if you sift through (including some of the BBC sessions), you can make a better version of the album.
I posted this on a previous La's thread... MW Macefield creates what he thinks is the ultimate version of the album in his book. It's interesting reading... Almost all of these versions are available on Spotify. I put together a playlist here.
That's a great selection. I do love the original demo of "Son of a Gun" which has a fantastic vibe, although I tend to favour the Liz Kershaw radio session on the whole. Also one of the radio sessions - the one where they did "Feelin", "Callin' All", "I Can't Sleep" and "Timeless Melody" - those are probably my favourite versions of those four songs. Other than that, some of the Hedges sessions are great; any of the tracks from the first two singles ("Way Out" and "There She Goes") are, to my ears, perfect in their original released form (including the "Freedom Song" and "Liberty Ship" demos). I love the vibe of the original demos but so wish it had been captured in slightly better quality.
You could spend forever trying to assemble a definitive album and, in fact, I am now favoring Son of a Gun (Jeremy Allom, Take 2) as my album opener. Also, I wish they had just done their whole repertoire when they did that Bob Harris session. To my ears, that is perhaps the best they ever sounded. Also, it's interesting how certain songs seemed to get done over and over (Doledrum) while others (such as Liberty Ship) don't seem to have been attempted as much. Furthermore, in a potentially controversial move, "There She Goes" is no longer part of my definitive La's album. A gem, of course, but I've heard it too many times and it sort of breaks the vibe for me.
Tantalizing trailer; however, Flat5 Productions doesn't appear to have posted anything new on YouTube in 6 years. Their level of productivity is bordering on Mavers-esque.
The top rated comment: "A documentary that never materialises: could only be about Lee Mavers." Haha.
I really felt like sharing this, a real hidden gem. We should all cut him slack for he's only human and he apologised for it way in advance ...
Heads up for anyone who's interested and isn't aware, there's a new book out "The La's Scrapbook 1984-1987" as well as a 7" single of Breakloose/IOU/Feelin' available from Viper or a signed edition from 80s Casuals. I believe there was a hardback edition of 50 copies but that sold out on pre-order.
Since there's probably literally nothing else to report, the BBC sessions album is making its vinyl debut. More outstanding cover art, displaying a snare drum similar one that may have been used during the recording of these sessions. The La’s ‘BBC In Session’ Set To Make Vinyl Debut In May
Thanks for this news. The amazon.com link in the post doesn't work, here's the correct one (although there's no price yet)... https://www.amazon.com/BBC-Session-VINYL-Las/dp/B07Q5XG72S
Thanks for reminding me of the La's. I picked this up on a whim when I was stationed in Germany in the 90-91 and really liked the album. Knew nothing about them prior just thought I'd give it a try. They remind me of the band Live during that time also. I had it on cassette, not sure where it took off to, but I'm listening now to it on Google Play Music at work right now, thanks.
What a classic album, la. Absolutely love it. Was staggered when I first heard it c. 2001 (reissue with five or six bonus tracks) because it so authentically captures the spirit of Merseybeat, yet also achieves its own contemporary sound. That, and the quality songwriting. I do think The Stone Roses' first album is better, but this one is way better than any other Britpop band's debut... in fact, it's better than any other Britpop band's album. I do think Lee Mavers gets a wee bit too much credit, la, and John Power a bit too little. I have a feeling that if not for Power dragging Lee away from the local pub and football, the album would never have appeared and they'd never have travelled outside Liverpool. Lee is a bit like Rory Storm (Alan Caldwell) in that way. I like the Lillywhite recordings best.
